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The other day I heard someone say that they were an expert with having “champagne style on a beer budget.” I like that idea of making the most of what you have. Of not being limited by your budget so much as forced to get creative with how you use it.

I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, but I do have quite a bit of experience with budget decorating. My biggest tips for creating a beautiful space on a smaller budget are simple:

Paint it

In college I inherited a ton of furniture from relatives. The only similarity in all of it was that it was used. So I painted it. Everything in my bedroom was teal or white. Everything in my living room was green or brown. (It also helps that I have an uncle who was a professional painter for years and was willing to help me out a bit.) The painting took an afternoon and was well worth the investment. I’ve already lugged those pieces through three moves and have no plan on stopping.

Clean it

The easiest thing you can do to make your space look more livable is to clean it. Put things away, wipe down the counters, vacuum, open the windows and let some fresh air come inside. It doesn’t matter how expensive your furniture is if your place is a mess.

Toss it

I try to live by the William Morris motto: “Have nothing in your houses you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” It’s not always feasible to exclusively have items that you adore, but it is important to be aware of the things that you love and the things that you actually use so that you can separate them from the things that you’d like to replace. Don’t be afraid to get rid of something. Donate it, give it to a friend, see if you actually needed it, and if you do then wait until you can buy a version that you would like to live with daily.

Put a painting on it

This is probably my favorite way to decorate. As long as there is space on your wall (or floor, or dresser, or table top) there is room for more art. I invested in a piece of art by myself the first time when I was 20 years old. Since then, I’ve made a few other art purchases-some for myself but mostly helping others get started with their own collections.

Nothing livens up a space like a piece that you love. It’ll make you happy with every glance. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to match. It just has to be something that you like. And if you can’t find anything or can’t afford anything you want, you can always make it yourself or ask a friend to try.

I have a few pieces of art in my room right now: a drawing by my Aunt Sue (Luke Weiss’s mom) in the 70’s, a photograph from India found at the Gainesville Art Festival, a beautiful silk painting from the Maitland Art Festival, and a hand painted (and self-designed) movie poster for Paperman I made for an Illustration class. Nothing cost more than $40 (except the framing…see the upcoming how to frame your own paintings) and none of it was bought or chosen with the intent of being put together but it all works when you are buying pieces that you truly love.

How do you pick what goes in your space? Are you a less is more kind of person or a more is more?

I’m incredibly fortunate to have so so many talented people in my life. One of these people is graduating tomorrow. Luke Weiss, the oldest of five is an incredibly talented graphic designer. I was lucky enough to get to spend the evening at his portfolio show last night checking out the students of room 2501’s work. There may be a little bias here (he is my cousin) but I’m pretty confident when I say that Luke is the leader of that pack. If you’re in the market for any design work, message him here to talk art and prices.

I’ve always been interested in design and decorating (like most of the internet) but I’ve never had a formal tutorial in what the different styles of design are and how they relate. This is meant to serve as an introduction, a chance to initiate a dialogue about design. My “history” comes from Wikipedia, my style summary from dwelling in the depths of Google Images for hours. I’m starting with Mid-century modern because I had an art teacher in college who loved it and I spent hours googling it to try to be able to impress her.

Design: “purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind an action, fact, or material object.”

Midcentury modern emerged in the United States in 1933. It is often associated with the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. His “organic architecture” blended with the International and Bauhaus styles of the time to create the American interpretation, mid-century modern. The goal was to bring modernism into everyday life in post-war America which is how it came to be found in the suburbs. I’m unclear why this was the goal; perhaps to convince people the world was ready for a new direction? The style remained predominant in the US until 1965. In 1983, Cara Greenberg, an architectural and design writer, made the phrasing “mid-century modern” popular with her book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950’s.

Style attributes:

-Open floor plans let the sunshine in

-Post and beam support allows for more open space since no support walls needed

-Natural materials lots of wood alongside marble and copper

-Clean, simple lines only the things that are necessary are featured

-Focus on form and function there is a purpose to every line

-Sculptural lighting generally metal with some sort of radiant design

-Geometric patterns on pillows, walls, furniture, carpets, and art

-Earthy colors mixed with bright colors tangerine, avocado, and mustard according to HGTV